Former New Jersey governors James Florio and Thomas Keane score the highest name
recognition as voters survey the pack of potential candidates considering the U.S. Senate race
in New Jersey, according to a Quinnipiac College Poll released today.

By a 55 - 11 percent margin, voters have a favorable opinion of Keane, while 20
percent have a mixed opinion and 14 percent haven't heard enough to form an opinion.

"James Florio had to be the happiest politician in New Jersey when Gov. Christine
Todd Whitman said she wouldn't run for Senator. Now he doesn't face a re-run of their 1993
campaign," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac College Polling Institute.

"So far, the only other potential candidates who even break 50 percent on the voter
recognition scale are Thomas Keane and Dick Zimmer, both of whom have run for statewide
office. As for the rest of the pack, voters are asking, `Who are those guys?'

"Businessman Jon Corzine supposedly has buckets of money to spend in a Senate race
and he better start spending soon because he has the lowest recognition factor on the list."

New Jersey voters approve 58 - 35 percent of the job Gov. Whitman is doing, but by a 56
- 39 percent margin, they do not want her to run as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate.
And 51 percent say Whitman's presence on the GOP ticket would not influence their presidential
vote.

"Gov. Whitman was the 800-pound gorilla in the Senate race. But this is the second time
in four years that New Jersey voters told Quinnipiac College they did not want their Governor
running on the Republican national ticket," Carroll said.

Taxes should be Whitman's top priority during her last two years as Governor, 23 percent
of voters say, while 22 percent list education/school funding as a top priority and 11 percent list
auto insurance. Only 2 percent of voters say crime/violence/drugs/guns should be a top priority.

From September 14 - 21, Quinnipiac College surveyed 783 New Jersey registered
voters. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent. The Quinnipiac College Poll,
directed by Douglas Schwartz, conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut as a public service and for research.

1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christine Whitman is handling her
job as Governor of New Jersey?

Jul 22
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 1999

Approve 58% 75% 41% 57% 61% 56% 55%

Disapprove 35 20 53 33 33 36 37

DK/NA 7 4 6 9 6 8 8

2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Frank Lautenberg is handling
his job as United States Senator?

Jul 22
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 1999

Approve 55% 41% 75% 52% 52% 58% 55%

Disapprove 25 41 10 27 30 21 25

DK/NA 20 18 16 21 18 21 20

3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Robert Torricelli is handling
his job as United States Senator?

Jul 22
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 1999

Approve 46% 33% 58% 48% 46% 45% 44%

Disapprove 25 38 15 23 28 23 29

DK/NA 29 29 27 30 26 32 28

6. What issue do you think should be Governor Whitman's top priority
during her final two years in office?

20. Thinking about the Presidential election in the year 2000,
would you like to see Christine Whitman run as the Republican
candidate for Vice-President or not?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Yes 39% 54% 27% 37% 39% 40%

No 56 41 69 60 56 56

DK/NA 4 5 5 4 5 4

21. If Christine Whitman were the Republican Vice-Presidential
candidate in the year 2000, would that make you more likely to
vote for the Republican ticket, less likely, or wouldn't it
make a difference?